My dog has low platelets. What steroids are used and what causes it?

The prednisone is appropriate to use as that is what will stop the body from destroying it's platelets. If you are worried about Ehrlichiosis as a possibility then you can ask your vet to test your dog for it. There are two main tests for Ehrlichia: PCR testing for Ehrlichia DNA OR blood testing for Ehrlichia antibodies. Antibody testing has been the main diagnostic for many years but recent availability of PCR testing has changed the approach.

The main two things i would suspect is Tick fever caused by a bacterial called Erlichia (it is treated with an antibiotic called doxycycline). it could also be an autoimmune hemolytic crisis, this will need to be treated with steroids.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Thunder, he sounds pretty sick. It sounds like you and your veterinarian are trying many different treatments for his low platelets. It is possible that he is suffering from an immune-mediated disease such as ITP, which is immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. This is where the immune system destroys the body's platelets. We can see this secondary to tick-diseases such as ehrlichia. He is already on prednisone, but he may require a second immune-modulatory medication, such as mycophenolate. This medication works with prednisone to reduce immune destruction of platelets. I hope this information is helpful, and best of luck trying to get Thunder's disease under control. I'm sure it is very difficult and frustrating for you.

As the doxycycline keeps killing more and more of the blood parasites the body will be able to make and retain more healthy platelets. This may take a while. Feed your dog good quality food and he will have the strength to make enough platelets. It will take time.

Anti-coagulant rat poisons affect something called secondary hemostasis - they have no effect on platelet count. This type of toxicity can be ruled out by doing a coagulation profile, or PT/PTT test. Many vet clinics can do this in-house. If you have concerns, I would recommend asking your vet about this - he/she should be happy to explain the testing that was done and how to interpret the results.

You are describing pancytopenia which is a low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet count. We see this disease process secondary to infectious diseases carried by ticks, toxins such as hormones or even secondary to some medications such as anti-inflammatories, primary diseases of the bone marrow and cancer. Unfortunately, it is a problem because if left untreated his platelet count will continue to drop resulting in bleeding and his low white blood cell count predisposes him to infection. He needs to be tested for tick borne disease and possibly have a bone marrow aspirate. In the meantime, your veterinarian may recommend treating him with doxycycline and prednisone.

The problem here is to establish the underlying cause of thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is one of the most common causes. This process usually occurs in the spleen although the liver also plays a role. Thrombocytopenia develops as platelet destruction exceeds compensatory production by the bone marrow. Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia can be classified as primary or secondary. Secondary processes can be caused by infective diseases or tumors very commonly. Usually to determine a diagnosis more tests needs to be performed like abdominal ultrasound and chest x rays. Infective diseases like Ehrlichia, Anaplasma spp for example should be ideally evaluated as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum (where you can post pics of the blood tests) or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.